Motor for operating doors.



H. G. RANDALL.

MOTOR FOR OPERATING DOORS. APPLICATION FILED JULY 13, 1902.

Patented May .6, 1913.

2 $HEBTS-SHEET l.

WITNESSES:

11:0. RAND'ALL. MOTOR FOR OPERATING DOORS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 13, 1908.

Patented May 6, 1913.

INVENTORL W. famxw wNN IIHHHUVI HHrVIIIuLIIIIIAII QR k ATTQRNEYLY annual earner @FFl -QE.

MOTUB FOR OPERATING DOORS.

incomes.

- a specification.

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved mechanism for controlling the passage of pressure fluid, such as compressed air, steam, water under pressure, 'or the like, to and from a working cylinder, which mechanism may be actuated at the will of the operator to admit the pres- ,sure fluid to the cylinder, which, upon the release of the actuating device by the op erator, automatically acts to reverse the di rection of movement of the piston, and

which, finally, after such reversal has been efiected, automatically sets the parts in such aposition as to prevent any leakage of the pressure fluid while the device is in disuse.

The invention is especially adapted -ior use in controlling elevator doors and l have herein shown it arranged for such purpose,

but it may be used in other relations.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a broken front view of the apparatus; Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view of a portion thereof; Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section taken in front of the locking hook; Fig. 4c is an enlarged broken plan view of a portion of the apparatus, the locking hook being broken away; Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the slide block; Fig. 6 is a vertical detail sectional view, showing the mechanism for controlling thedevice by the car; Fig. 7 is an enlarged broken plan view of the cylinder, a part of the piston being shown in section; Fig. 8 is a broken vertical section through one of the inlets for the compressed air; Fig. 9 is a detail broken view of the adjusting screw; Fig. 10 is a cross section through the controlling valve; Fig. 11- is a cross section of the cylinder through the vent passage;.Fig. 12 is a cross v section of the cylinder through a check valve in the piston; Fig. 13. is a cross section of the cylinder showing the piston in end view; Figs. '14:, 15, 16 and 17 are transverse sectional' views of the valve casing in four positions 101": the valve; and Fig. 18 is a detail longitudinal section through the piston.

Referring to the drawing, 1 indicates a plate adapted to be secured on the frame Specification of Letters Patent: Applicatibn filed m 13,

Patented May 8, 1913. 1908. Serial No. 443,352.

above an elevator door. Upon said plate is secured a cylinder 2, having at one end a closed head 3, and at the other end an apertured head 4t, through which passes a piston rod 5.' The heads 3 changeable in position, so that the piston rod can be arranged to travel through either end of the cylinder. Said piston rod 5 is connected by a removable pin 6 to a slide block 7, which slides between slideways 8, supported by posts 9 on the plate 1. Upon said slide block is secured a threaded pin 10 upon which is screwed a nut 11, and which can move in a slot 12 in a lever 13, pivoted at its lower end, as shown at 14 to an elevator door 15, and having at itsLupper end a slot 16 for connecting it to a pivot 17 on the frame of the elevator shaft.

The compressed air is supplied by a pipe 18, which is screwed into a valve'casing 19, secured on a band 20 surrounding the cylinder at one end. Said valve casing has an inlet passage 21 through which the compressed air is admitted to the interior of said casing, an outlet passage 22 which connects with an exhaust pipe 23. a passage 2% connecting with the nearer end of the cylinder and a passage 25 connected by a pipe 26 with the farther end of the cylinder. Within said cylinder slides a compound piston 27, each halfozt which comprises, at the inner end a cup leather 29, next, a wooden piston section 30, having at its outer end an annular mortise to receive a ring 31 of felt, a second wooden piston section 32, a cup leather 3%, and a brass disk 33. Said disk 33 is formed with a radially extending and l are intersocket 35, terminating at its inner end in a valve seat, into which is dropped a ball check valve 36. Said valve seat communicates by a passage 37 through the brass disk 33, cup leather 34, and wooden piston section' 32, with the annular space between said piston section 32 and the cylinder 2. Above said valve seat andball valve, the socket 35 communicates with the outer side of the brass disk by an exhaust passage 38. A vent 39 is also formed in the wooden piston section 32 in a radial direction which vent connects with a passage 40 at right angles thereto in a. direction parallel with the axis of the piston and terminating in the end of the pist n, which passage 10 is variably obstructed by a screw 41 having a contracted passage d2.

the interior of the cylinder each by means of two groups of three port hole 43, each group connecting with the redu ed annular space around the piston at a side of the felt ring'31. The operation of this portion of the apparatus is therefore as follows: Supposlng the partsto be in. the position in which the door is closed, and that com pressed air is then admitted to the farther end of the cylinder, the air passes into the annular space around the'outer wooden piston section 32, and between the felt ring 31 and the outer cup leather 34, and thence passes by the passage 37 to the ball valve 36,

raising said valve from its seat, and escap ing by the passage 38. Compressed air is thus admitted to open the door. When the piston arrives at the end of its stroke, in opening or closing the door, the outer cup leather 34 passes the port leading to the cor-' responding end of the cylinder, and the air is then confined in said end ofthe cylinder,

Y since it cannot pass along the passage 37, on

account of the check valve' 36. Said air thus confined, and compressed by the motion of the cylinder acts as a cushion to prevent the too rapid terminal movement of the door. By means of the vent 39 the airgradually escapes from the chamber in which it was confined," and, as it escapes, the door is slowly moved to its terminal position. I Thus the closing and opening of the .door are effected without jar.

The interior of the valve casing is cylindrical, and therein rotates a conical or ta-.

peri'ngvalve 44, connected at'the outside With an arm 45. In the transverse plane through the inlet,- outlet, and. connecting passages, 21, 22, 24, 25, the valve is recessedon opposite sides, as shown at 46, to form ports.- The bottom surfaces of these recesses or ports converge toward each other, so that, in the plane of said ports, the valve is considerably thicker at the rear side, adjacent to the inlet passage 21 than at the front side, adjacent to the outlet passage 22. The object of this construction is to shutoff the compressedair before the pas 51, 54, are attached suitable pull cords 53. By depressing the outer end of either of these arms, th e upper end of the arm 49 of the bell crank lever is moved toward the cyl-' inde'r, thereby rocking the arm 45 and mov' ing the valve to open the near end of the cylinder to exhaust and connect its remote end with the compressed air. The move ment of the compressed air to the farther end of the cylinder actuates the piston to propel the rod through the head 4 of the cylinder and move the slide block along the slide to-open the door.

. In order to prevent the door beiingopened except when thecompressed air is so admitted, there is pivoted-upon the rear side of the slide block, as shown at 55, a hook 56, which has a tooth 57, which, when the door is closed, engages a square shoulder 58 formed upon a post 59 projecting from the plate. 1. Consequently, the door cannot ordinarily be opened directly by hand, and withoutadmitting compressed air in the manner above described. 7 But, when the bell crank lever is actuated toadmit compressed air to open the'door, said hook 56 isat the same time automatically raised. This is efi'ec-te'd by. meansof a rod 60 pivoted to the arm. 47 and which is at its free end supported by means of a pin or reduced extension 61 of the'post 59 passing into a slot 62 in said rod 60. Said rod 60 is also formed near its free end with a rounded socket 63 into whichcan drop a roller 64 carried on the free end of the hook 56. Therefore, when the bell crank lever is .actuated to. admit compressed air, the same movement through the arm 47 causes the, rod 60"to move toward the cylinder, and raises id" roller. 64 out of said socket 63, thereby raising the tooth 57 on the hook 56 above the shoulder 58 upon the.post 59, so that the slide block is free to move, and the coinpressedlair is therefore free to act to'open the door. As, in the movement of the slide block, the roller 64 passes out of contact with the end of the rod 60 and is no longer .supportedthereby, the hook 56 drops upon a stop 65 projecting rearwardly-from. the

slide block. As soon 'as the pull cord is released, the bell ,erank leveris returned by .means of a spring 66 attached to the swing- Side thereof, sot-hat the action of -the valve is now reversed, and the compressed air is admitted to the near end of the cylinder,"

and the remote end thereof a is connected with exhaust. The door then automatically.

closes. As it closes, and the slide block --7 returns, the roller ,64 rides upon the in cli'ned upper surface 6810f the end ofthe rod- (30,and thereby raises'the hook 5,6to clear the post 59. The stop-65 upon the slide blockabuts' against the end of the ..rod- 60, and, in. the closing movement of the door, moves said rod to the right-against .the' action of thespring 66. Th'eieflect of the first part'of thismovement is to' close the inlet passage 21 in the valve casing' 'an shut ofl' the compressed airfrom the near.-

end of the cylinder, the remote end of said cylinder being, however, still open to eX- haust, owing to the tapering form of the valve in the plane through the openings. The compressed air thus contained in the near end of the cylinder then acts solely by expansion, and the door continues its closing movement until the rod 60 has been returned to its normal position, in which the roller 64 drops into the socket 63 and the hook 56 again engages the shoulder 58 on the post. The valve has now been returned to its ini tial position in which both the inlet and outlet to the valve casing are closed.

Should the compressed air apparatus get out of order, the door may be operated by hand, by removing the pivot pin 6 of the knuckle joint which connects the piston rod with the ,slide block. The doorwill then still be controlled by the locking lever, and the effect of pulling either pull cord will be to release said locking lever.

It is to be observed that should the looking hook on the slide block not have been engaged by the stop, and it is attempted to open the door by hand, by sliding the slide block, the effect will be to automatically turn on the compressed air to close the door, for this will be accomplished by means of the spring which then, on account of the rod' being no longer engaged by the-extension on the slide block, operates the swinging arm to turn the valve to permit compressed the pivot pin of the bell crank lever,

ing of the tor car 78 at the air to the near end the door.

I provide means for preventing the openelevator door except when theelevator car is at the door. For this purpose there is provided a slide 'rod 7 Q sliding through the plate 1 and also through a front plate 71, carried by a bracket 72, secured on said front plate. Said rod normally obstructs the movement of an arm 74 on; the pivot pin of the bell crank lever, and thus prevents the opening of the door, except when the car is at the door. Said rod has a head 73 in which is carried a roller 85, and also has an extension 86 which slides upon for the purpose of maintaining the roller in the proper vertical plane. Said head is normally pressed outward by means of acoiled spring 83, but upon the arrival of the elevadoor, a wedge or cam 79 upon said car, engaging the roller presses inward said slide rod, so that a recess 80, formed in said slide rod 70, is in the same plane with the arm T l upon said pivot pin. When in this'position said arm can pass freely through said recess, andthe bell crank lever can be operated. I also provide means of the cylinder and close whereby the movement of the door operates any suitable safety or power controlling device in the basement. For this purpose there is attached to the slide block, a depressor rod 84, which when the slide block moves outward, engages the upper end of a lever 86, and first rocks said lever, and then maintains it in the position to which it has so rocked, so long as the slide rod is out of its normal position corresponding to the closed position of the door. The other end of said lever is attached to a pull rod 87 attached to a bell crank lever 88 to which is attached a pull rod or wire 89 which is'connected to a switch 90 for controlling the current of electricity used to operate the car, in case the car is so operated, or to a valve when the car is operated by fluid pressure.

\Vhile for brevity and convenience the mechanism is referred to in the claims as used for operating a door, it is to be understood that the word F door is here used, not in its limited sense, but broadly to indicate any closure which it maybe desired to control by the said mechanism.

1 In a motor for controlling a movable element, the combination of a cylinder, :1 piston therein having in each end a radially extending socket terminating at its inner end in a valve seat, a ball check valve on said seat, said piston having a passage leading from said socket above said ball to the end of the piston, and a second passage leading from below the ball to an intermediate pointin a side of the piston, the cylinder having a port arranged. to communicate passage when the piston is at the end of the cylinder, piston and operatively connected to the movable element, substantially as lescribed.

2. In a'motor for controlling a movable element, the combination of a cylinder, a piston therein, and means movable with the piston for shutting ofl the compressed air from access to the rear end of the piston before the piston reaches the end of its stroke, while maintaining the exhaust open, whereby the piston then operates solely by expansion to move said element to the end of its path,.an d a piston rod tively'connectedto the movable element, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HORATIO C. RANDALL.

Witnesses FRANCIS M. NVRIGHT,

B. RICHARDS.

with said 1 and a piston rod secured to said' secured to said piston and opera- 

